


Two's Comfort

by ruination_fangs



Category: Tales of Xillia
Genre: Gen, momma milla strikes again
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-18
Updated: 2018-02-18
Packaged: 2019-03-16 14:19:52
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 754
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13638015
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ruination_fangs/pseuds/ruination_fangs
Summary: Elize wakes frightened, but for once not alone.





	Two's Comfort

**Author's Note:**

> this is another one of those really old fics I just now finished. even in 2015 all I wrote was fluff in beds

Elize wakes abruptly, gasping softly and sitting up before she remembers where she is. Beside her, Teepo springs to life with a yelp, muffed when Elize pulls him close and covers his mouth. She can hear her heart pound in the silence.

The room is dark, and shreds of moonlight sifting in between the curtains only make the shadows feel thicker. She clutches Teepo to her chest; he buries his face into her nightgown, afraid that any patch of darkness might come to life at any moment.

"I-It's okay," Elize whispers softly to him. "It was just a bad dream. Everyone is still here."

Just to double-check, she looks to her left. Leia is sprawled out in the bed closest to the window, with her blankets twisted and only covering half her body. Elize has noticed that sometimes she snores – not loudly, but she can hear it when she wakes up in the night. Right now, though, the room is silent.

She turns the other way to look at the bed closer to the door. Milla is harder to see, since she's actually under her blanket; with her back turned, to Elize's eyes she's little more than a mass of thick hair spilling over the sheets, catching the moonlight and reflecting silver and gold.

Elize hunches over, deliberating - and then decisively shoves her blankets down instead of pulling them back up. It's cold outside her bed, but it's only half a step to her destination. She hovers over Milla's bed for a long moment before working up her nerve again.

Unlike Leia, who seems to be able to sleep through anything, Milla wakes immediately when Elize touches her shoulder. She turns over, one hand reaching vaguely in the direction of the sword propped against the far wall, but stops when she sees the figure huddling on her other side.

"Elize? Why are you awake?"

"She had a nightmare," Teepo supplies while Elize is still thinking. "And now we're kinda scared."

"A nightmare?" Milla seems to have to think about the word for a few moments before it means anything to her. "Oh. And it woke you up?"

Elize only nods. Milla blinks, and the room is quiet again.

"I… um…"

Teepo frees himself from Elize's arms to land on the edge of the bed. "What she wants to say is that she doesn't want to be alone."

"You're not alone," Milla says evenly. "Leia and I are still here. Jude and the others are right next door."

"Y-Yes, but…" Without Teepo to squeeze, Elize's hands drift to her sides and tangle in her nightgown. "I don't…"

For several seconds Milla only stares, uncomprehending. Elize can't quite bring herself to meet her eyes, so she doesn't see when those eyes suddenly light up, only hears Milla say, "Oh!"

She turns over the rest of the way, sweeping her hair off to the side and pulling the blankets down. "I understand. Here."

Teepo wastes no time in burying himself in the bed, as close to Milla as he can get – but Elize hesitates, pulling at the fabric at her sides. Maybe Milla misinterprets that to mean she didn't get the cue, because she says, "I read in a book that when children get frightened at night, they often find it comforting to sleep in a parent's bed. I know your parents aren't here, but perhaps I can simulate the effect."

Elize glances up. Milla seems quite serious, perhaps even pleased at the prospect. Teepo has already made himself comfortable pressed against Milla's torso, so Elize carefully climbs into the bed next to him and feels the soft weight of the sheets settle back around her.

She's already much warmer. When Milla lays back down, she stretches one arm over Elize's side and frowns.

"Is this how you're supposed to do it?"

"I-I think so," Elize says quietly. It's not as if she's ever done anything like this, either. But Milla's arm around her is strong and comforting, and she thinks this would have been nice those years she spent in the shed, listening to the wind in the orchard and the old stairs creaking.

Teepo seems to agree. "This is perfect," he sighs, and snuggles closer to Milla's chest.

Milla smiles. "Good."

She closes her eyes and goes quiet, and Elize is left alone with her thoughts once again. But the images from her nightmare are rapidly fading, and it doesn't take long until she, too, drifts back to sleep, sure this time that she's safe.


End file.
